Cage Rage 20 looks to push the heavyweight action into the limelight, topping the bill with what is literally set to be a clash of the titans between Eric "Butterbean" Esch and James "The Colossus" Thompson -two of the most aptly nicknamed fighters in the game.
Mark Kerr makes his Cage Rage debut against Mustafa al Turk in what will be another clash of the big boys. Tengiz Tedoradze looks to tear the British Heavyweight belt from the very capable hands of Rob Broughton, and UFC hall of famer Dan Severn looks to continue his seemingly endless career.
While not packing as many huge names as the previous instalments, Cage Rage 20 looks set to round off the evening with a few good, intriguing title fights-including Robbie Olivier against leg lock specialist Mazakazu Imanari. So while not pushing as many world-renowned names this time around, Cage Rage brings you the same quality match-ups in what looks set to be another storming event.
Coming off a disappointing loss against Rob Broughton, Butterbean looks to bounce back with a win against James Thompson. In his last fight, Butterbean arrived in very poor cardio shape, gassing out within a few minutes. His timing was off and he landed nothing of note before being taken down repeatedly and pounded into submission. Enter what seems like a better match-up for the ‘Bean – James Thompson. James is a huge brawler with a heavy (though wild) punch. However he has shown a tendency to tire out in fights too, and has been rocked and stopped on numerous occasions (in his last fight against Hidehiko Yoshida, he was out-struck for a large part of the fight and rocked several times by the much smaller fighter, though he rallied impressively to win the fight). Butterbean may have the edge in punch power and punch resistance, but I feel James Thompson has (slightly) better cardio, and is more mobile. While James may be the more athletic fighter, he must use this advantage to win the fight. If he simply stands in front of Butterbean and looks to unload, his chin could let him down. The gameplan for Thompson should be a carbon copy of the one used by Broughton, as this is an effective way to nullify the danger Butterbean presents on the feet. However, Thompson has never really actively pursued a ground fight before, and this could work to his disadvantage. While he has numerous advantages, and should win the fight, in my head I see him trying to stand in the trenches and throw punch for punch against Butterbean, and coming off second best.
UFC and Pride Veteran Mark Kerr makes his Cage Rage debut against submission fighter Mustapha al Turk. Kerr is coming off a TKO loss to TUF alumni Mike Whitehead in which his once explosive takedowns appeared to be slow and forced, and his stand-up suspect. Kerr has fought sporadically since 2000, and is on a 4 fight losing streak. This is surely the last roll of the dice for him, a loss here would leave him derailed with nowhere to go. Al Turk, by comparison, seems to have found his “cage legs”. After a rocky start to his career, going 0-2, he has reeled off 3 straight TKO wins, albeit against low level competition. Mark Kerr, a faded force or not, is a huge step up in class for al Turk. The two have some very similar attributes-both like the top position and both have wild, scrappy stand-up (though powerful). Al Turk is the better submission fighter, however Kerr is the better wrestler. Kerr also has solid submission defence, having never been tapped in MMA. I think this fight will be a battle for top position-which Mark Kerr will gain. I can’t see al Turk putting Kerr onto his back, or stopping Kerr’s takedowns (if he steps into them like he used to in his heyday). I think al Turk is wily enough to survive on the ground against an inconsistent Kerr. Kerr can be absolutely devastating when he gains top position, but at other times he can be a notoriously inactive fighter. It depends which Kerr will show up on the night. Without elbows or knees to the head I can’t see Kerr stopping this fight, but I expect him to take the fight to ground and steadily and methodically work al Turk over for a unanimous decision.
What a year 2006 was for Rob Broughton. After losing the first fight he had that year via decision, he reeled off 4 impressive victories. Brought in as fodder for James Thompson, Broughton survived a vicious beating until his superior cardio allowed him to take over the fight and win via ground and pound. He then proceeded to KO tough brawler Robert Berry, and absolutely dismantled Butterbean. In Tengiz, he is undoubtedly meeting his toughest opponent to date. A tough wrestler who possesses fierce ground and pound, Tengiz poses a big problem for any fighter he steps in there with. While his stand-up has a lot of holes in it (he has been KO’d on numerous occasions) and his submission skill have also been called into question (he has been submitted 4 times-though in his defence, 3 of those were against world-class submission fighters!), his sheer determination and power make him a very dangerous task. Rob Broughton has displayed some well rounded skills in his Cage Rage career. He picked away at Butterbean with effective jabs and leg kicks, scored well with low single legs and pulled out a ground and pound victory. He demonstrated grit and determination, as well as good cardio, when pounded James Thompson into defeat. Tengiz is a different animal however. I don’t think Rob Broughton has the power in his stand-up to KO Tengiz, or the wrestling ability to stay on his feet when Tengiz wants to bring the fight to ground. I’m going out on a limb here and saying that despite Broughton’s durability, Tengiz will pull out an impressive TKO victory in this fight via ground and pound.
UFC hall of fame fighter Dan Severn looks to continue his MMA career at the age of 52 against Dave Legeno. Dave is coming off a redemption win against Alan Murdoch via rear naked choke, which itself followed a submission win against Kimo. Dan is coming off 5 straight, though the only one to really turn heads is his victory over Robert Berry. This fight is set to be a straight clash of styles-the boxer vs the wrestler, and in those fights you’ve got to give the edge to the wrestler 9 times out of 10. If Dan tries to stand up with Legeno, he will be on the wrong end of a one sided beating. And while Legeno showed good takedown defence against Kimo, I have got to side with Dan Severn in this one, 52 or not. While on paper it may look like the perfect match-up for Legeno (an aging wrestler whose takedowns have slowed, and who has poor stand up skills), I am still siding with Dan Severn, probably by decision in a lacklustre fight. However if Legeno gets out of position on the ground, look for Severn to slap on an arm triangle or a rear naked choke.
The fact that Matsui is stepping up to fight Zelg says one thing to me - Pride are watching. If Zelg wins this one! It’s hard not to be impressed with Zelg after his last fight (a fight I picked him to lose in the first round no less!), a brutal first round destruction of Mark Weir. Zelg showed devastating striking skills and a true killer instinct to pounce on Weir once he had him going. Matsui, on the other hand, is the ultimate survivor. He is a tough wrestler with a losing record, but a tonne of heart and grit. But it’s hard to side with Matsui in this fight. He will probably score a takedown or two in this fight, though Zelg has shown himself to be competent on the mat. Standing up, Matsui will find himself badly outgunned, though I think he is tough and wily enough to survive. Matsui will be looking for the decision win, in other words, and I don’t think he’ll get it. Look for Zelg to inflict a lot of damage standing, and either work his way back to his feet or stall once put on his back. Matsui will show his usual flair and heart, but I don’t think it will be enough in this fight. Look for Zelg to win via unanimous decision, or perhaps via cut if he can cut the thin-skinned Japanese fighter just right.
Robert "Buzz" Berry looks to rebound from his KO loss to Rob Broughton against fellow Cage Rage Veteran Mark Buchanan, who looks set to pose a test but not defeat Berry. 2 of Buchanan’s wins have come against journeyman fighter [[Kuljit Degun], and he is giving up a lot of size and strength in this clash. Hopefully Berry has learned from his KO loss to Broughton to tuck his chin down. He swings wildly leaving his chin exposed, and this has cost him in numerous fights. If he tucks up, he should pull this fight out. If he swings for the fences with every punch, it could end up being harder than necessary. I have a feeling Berry will hang his chin out, as he is accustomed to doing-however I’m still picking him to come out on top here.
Tom Howard comes into this fight winless with a record of 0-5, against Tom Blackledge who has a .500 record of 4-4. Of the two, Blackledge has fought the stiffer competition, being defeated twice by human wrecking machine Tengiz Tedoradze, and submitting Alan Murdoch. Howard, by contrast, has been finished in every one of his fights. What Howard does have going for him, however, is his size and strength. He’s a very big, powerful guy, but I just can’t see him turning his losing streak around in this fight. If I had to put my money one guy it would be Blackledge, probably by submission from the bottom.
This looks set to be an intriguing clash of skilled ground fighters. Olivier is coming off an impressive victory in which he dismantled Brad Pickett, finishing the fight by rear naked choke to pick up the title. He showed aggressive takedowns and a very impressive work rate from the ground in a fight he controlled from start to finish. Iminari, on the other hand, is a vicious leg lock practitioner coming off a KO win over Takeshi Yamazaki. He holds some very impressive wins, including a heel hook submission victory over TUF fighter Jorge Gurgel, himself a dangerous submission fighter. Iminari is dangerous with flying leglocks and jumping leglocks, which Olivier will have to be wary of if he wants to hang onto his belt. While he has good ground skills, Olivier has been caught a few times himself. It could end up being a very technical fight, with whoever makes the first mistake coming off second best. Olivier is the stronger fighter, possesses better takedowns and has better stand-up, but if Iminari grabs hold of one of his legs the fight could be over quick. I think Iminari could make the Cage Rage British Featherweight Champion Tap. Iminari via Heelhook.
This fight is a rematch of a fight from Cage Rage 16, which Jeremy Bailey won via DQ when Barrett hung onto his dreadlocks numerous times. It was a fight with a lot of ill-will and bad blood between the fighters, and it looks to pick up right where the first fight left off. While neither fighter is going to win an award for sportsman of the year, when you have two “bad boy” personas clashing you are pretty much guaranteed fireworks. Bailey was dominating the first fight, and I look for him to continue that trend in this fight. I can’t see either fighter shooting for a takedown-this will be a stand-up war, and I think Bailey is just more skilled on the feet. I look for Bailey to stop this fight, but I wouldn’t be surprised if either fighter lost their cool and ended up being thrown out.
All in all, Cage Rage look to be presenting another intriguing fight card to the fans this time around. With this many big, heavy fighters on the card, fans of knockouts may be on the edge of their seats from start to finish. While we may not see the ground mastery we saw at Cage Rage 19, we still have Iminari and Olivier to tantalize the submission lovers into turning up. And with Mark Kerr and Dan Severn on the card, the fans should turn out in droves to see if the well will run dry on either fighter. And I have a sneaking suspicion Pride are watching Zelg very closely-a KO win over their gatekeeper Matsui may be enough to see him appearing overseas before long. So while it’s not pushing as many truly world class names as we have been accustomed to seeing on a Cage Rage card, it still looks set to be another world class night of excitement.
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